Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, Pau Gasol added 10 points in his first game in nearly three weeks and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-91 on Wednesday night.

Bryant also had 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (51-24), who trail New Orleans by 1½ games and San Antonio by one game in the Western Conference standings. The Hornets have eight games left, the Lakers and Spurs seven each.

Gasol, playing for the first time since spraining his left ankle March 14 and admittedly not fully healed, played nearly 32 minutes -- far more than expected. He added six rebounds and seven assists.

"It's going to be sore, there's going to be pain," he said before the game. "I just have to deal with it and get over it."

The Lakers were 5-4 in his absence after going 15-4 in his first 19 games after Los Angeles acquired him from Memphis.

Derek Fisher scored 13 points, Lamar Odom had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Vladimir Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar added 10 points each for the Lakers.

Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster scored 23 points each for the Blazers. Steve Blake added 12 points and 10 assists and LaMarcus Aldridge had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Brandon Roy, averaging a team-leading 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists, missed his third straight game because of a strained right groin. The Blazers (38-37) lost all three, and will need to win four of their last seven games to finish with a winning record for the first time since the 2002-03 season -- the last time they made the playoffs.

Farmar scored six points and Bryant added five during a 13-5 run to start the fourth quarter, giving Los Angeles an 86-68 lead. The Blazers battled back, outscoring Los Angeles 15-2 to draw within seven points, but Bryant scored seven in a span of 31 seconds to make it 95-81 and clinch the victory.

The Lakers outscored Portland 19-9 to start the second half for a 69-59 lead, and the Blazers weren't closer than six points after that. It was 73-63 entering the final period.

Neither team led by more than five points in the second quarter, which ended with the teams tied at 50. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said beforehand he hoped Gasol would play somewhere between 16 and 25 minutes in the game. The 7-foot center played all but 30 seconds of the second quarter and 18 minutes in the first half.

Game notes
The Lakers complete a five-game homestand Friday night against Dallas before playing their final three road games of the season, against Sacramento, Portland and the Clippers. Then, they play their last three games at home. ... Blazers coach Nate McMillan said Roy will miss at least one more game before possibly returning against the Lakers next Tuesday night. ... The Lakers have won 12 of their last 14 games against the Blazers in Los Angeles. They have lost five straight and 11 of their last 13 in Portland. ... The Lakers have reached 50 wins for the 29th time in franchise history, and have a magic number of one to reach the playoffs for the 55th time in 60 seasons.

Injuries haven't kept the Los Angeles Lakers from competing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, just want to finish above .500, but a hobbled Brandon Roy isn't helping.

The Lakers, who continue to play without their top two centers, look to take advantage of the struggling Trail Blazers when the teams meet in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles (50-24) is among six teams vying for the top spot in the West, and has remained in contention despite missing Andrew Bynum (knee) and Pau Gasol (ankle).

"We're doing this without two starters," Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant said. "It's been an adjustment period. I think guys have adjusted well."

Bynum, who has been sidelined since the middle of January, probably won't return until the playoffs. But Gasol is getting closer to getting back on the court after scrimmaging briefly Saturday and working out Sunday.

Gasol, who has missed nine straight games, is listed as doubtful for Wednesday's contest.

Los Angeles had lost three of four before beating Washington 126-120 in overtime Sunday night. The Lakers, who have notched 50 victories for the 29th time in franchise history, will try to create some momentum as they face a Blazers team without its top player.

Portland (38-36) has played two straight games without Roy, who injured his groin last Tuesday night early in a 102-82 victory over Washington. Roy is expected to miss at least two more games.

The Blazers have lost both games Roy has missed. Portland, virtually eliminated from playoff contention, needs four victories in its final eight games to secure its first winning record since the 2002-2003 season.

Los Angeles also has eight games remaining, but it will likely take more than four wins over that stretch to earn the No. 1 seed in the West.

"We feel like we are going to have to win 57 or something like that if we want to finish at the top of this heap," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Because of its frontcourt injuries, Los Angeles will need Bryant to come through down the stretch. He scored six of his 26 points in overtime versus the Wizards, and is averaging 31.5 in two games against Portland this season.

Bryant had 33 points against the Blazers on Feb. 29, but the Lakers lost 119-111 after winning the first meeting of the season 96-83 three days earlier.

With Bynum and Gasol hobbled, Los Angeles could have trouble handling Portland center Joel Przybilla, who is averaging 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in his last 18 games.

Przybilla had 18 rebounds in the Blazers' 93-85 loss to Charlotte on Saturday night, marking the third time in five games he has grabbed 17 boards or more. He insists Portland isn't giving up.

"I don't believe it. I'm out there playing hard and all of my teammates are playing hard," he said. "I've been around teams that have hung it up, and this team definitely is not doing that."

The Lakers and Blazers will conclude their season series at Portland next Tuesday.